Brief Summary
This video explores the impressive soundtrack of the Digimon Adventure reboot, particularly its main theme composed by Sahashi Toshihiko. The video analyzes the musical composition of the main theme, its motifs, and how it is adapted in various tracks throughout the series to represent different emotions and situations. It also touches on the simplicity and effectiveness of the theme in capturing the essence of adventure.
- The main theme effectively captures the essence of adventure.
- The composer uses rhythmic mirroring to represent the real and digital worlds.
- The soundtrack adapts the main theme to fit different situations and emotions.
Unknown Lifeforms, Digimon
The speaker, a 90s kid, admits to not being deeply involved with Digimon during its initial popularity, unlike other anime such as Pokémon, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball Z. The speaker's exposure was mainly through the Digimon movie, knowing only the original team's English names. Despite this limited connection, the speaker was surprisingly hyped for the Tri-movies announced in 2014 and later binged them in 2020. The speaker was initially indifferent to the Digimon Adventure reboot until hearing positive feedback, which led to watching it and being impressed, particularly by the soundtrack.
The Chosen Children
The speaker expresses admiration for the Digimon Adventure reboot's soundtrack, highlighting it as a standout feature despite the show's overall quality declining after 50+ episodes. The main theme is a high point, influencing many important pieces in the soundtrack. The composer, Sahashi Toshihiko, is praised, and the speaker looks forward to future projects. The track often played at the beginning and end of episodes accompanies the recap and Digimon trivia, fully realizing the main motif and foreshadowing the story's progression.
Constructing an Epic
The speaker reflects on the emotional depth and intensity of the Digimon reboot's main theme, which defied preconceived notions of Digimon as a generic series. The theme begins with a high string drone and harp arpeggio outlining a C minor chord, a classic technique to evoke the start of an epic journey. An English horn then plays a simplified version of the main motif, suggesting the music is still in the process of being written.
(Probably) Unintentional Ingenuity
The music conveys the grandness of the story, building from humble beginnings to evolve over time. The melody uses a Dorian scale, incorporating a sharp six (a natural) to give it a brighter, folktale-like quality. The clarinet solo features a rhythmic palindrome, where the rhythm is a mirror image of itself. While the composer may not have intended it, this represents the real and digital worlds, offering a glimpse of the stakes involved as the music builds the world.
Digimon's New Motif
Following a chord swell by the brass section, the piccolo introduces the main motif of the series, lightly presenting the unfolding story with an octave rise and a wave-like pattern. This phrase acts as a call, setting up a response that begins with a reduced rising pattern into a descent, landing on B below the starting C. Looking ahead, a broader rising and descending pattern lands on a high G, symbolizing the trials of the chosen children and their Digimon partners as they journey to save both worlds.
Dramatic Superhero Soundtrack Tricks
The music evokes images of Tai, Agumon, and the team starting their journey with the introduction of strings and a bass line. The full string section emphasizes that events are in motion, expanding upon the initial setup. The high strings and woodwinds create a rising motion, leading to a powerful descent as the strings play in unison. The brass section plays a rising melody one bar light, offsetting the descending pattern and maintaining a sense of hope.
The New Theme is Pretty, Simple
The horns and trumpets play another rhythmic mirroring effect, while a trombone holds a steady C underneath. The use of brass intensifies the pattern, suggesting the real and digital worlds are in danger. This is followed by a sharp rhythmic march by the strings and flute, strengthening the heroes' resolve to awaken the holy Digimon and defeat the evil Millenniumon. A breakdown features the oboe and flute playing the rhythmic mirroring pattern, with a response on the strings that descends and rises, creating a stair-like quality.
The Chosen Children's Bonds
The orchestra swells back into the main motif with powerful undertones from the supporting harmonies and offset counter melodies, ending with a bright C major, symbolizing good defeating evil. The piccolo and English horn play a half-finished version of the main motif, using the call portion of the melody and responding with the full second half, suggesting that remnants of evil will always lurk. The speaker notes that the theme's effectiveness lies in capturing the essence of adventure.
Menace of the Enemy
A simple string piece derived from the main motif is altered to represent the bonds shared between the chosen children. The piece opens with the middle motif from the main theme, never fully completing the cycles and jumping between different starting positions. The final pattern consists of the counter melody played by the brass, maintaining a feeling of rising hopefulness. By omitting the main motif, the music focuses on the parts that hold it together, representing the substance without the source.
We're gonna protect the world!
Another track sounds different, with notes and melodic lines in complete opposition to the main theme, yet still recognizable as a derivative. This is achieved by keeping the rhythm of the adventure motif the same while changing the pitches. The heaviness of the descending melody conveys a sense of dread, contrasting with the hopeful original. The track that plays during the evolution sequences features the melody taken over by the brass section, representing heroes.
Pros and Cons of the New Theme
The speaker describes a track that plays during the evolution sequences, noting that the melody has been taken over by the brass section, which fits the situation given that solo horns are often used to represent heroes in film scores. The strings have also taken the rhythmic palindrome to use as a counter-melody against the main theme's rising melody. While this track sounds more upbeat and driving, it lacks the dramatic energy of the orchestral version. The speaker concludes by noting that there are many other pieces on the soundtrack that derive from or directly quote the main theme.
